tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post176467161810575705..comments2024-01-30T09:22:08.167+00:00Comments on Newmania In Lewes: A Giant Leap For Personkind ?Newmaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-20672332655022167832008-08-03T14:52:00.000+01:002008-08-03T14:52:00.000+01:00Jordan is great. Put her in charge.Jordan is great. Put her in charge.lilithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05011676751221508167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-17339325874302394232008-07-31T23:09:00.000+01:002008-07-31T23:09:00.000+01:00Flo, Newms - I agree completely. I fear that the c...Flo, Newms - I agree completely. I fear that the changes being made to tighten up on Incapacity benefit will in fact prevent genuine cases from much needed benefits as liars will always lie a little more. I too am against 'positive discrimination' as it seems to assume success can't be had on a level playing field. But of course, as Mutley reminds us, how can you legislate against peoples hearts, personal prejudices and individual decisions? Deep indeed, Mutley.Philipahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03440234602399886097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-1672665201546484202008-07-31T22:54:00.000+01:002008-07-31T22:54:00.000+01:00Yes Flo I think heling people with disabilties is ...Yes Flo I think heling people with disabilties is a very different subject to positively disciminating on behalf of women. people need access and then to be allowed to sink or swimNewmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-21756478921054497102008-07-31T22:52:00.000+01:002008-07-31T22:52:00.000+01:00Mutley I think that is very deep , honestly Fascin...Mutley I think that is very deep , honestly <BR/><BR/>Fascinating copmment Flo and Phillipa I read it all a few times.Newmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-2029132934387190712008-07-31T21:51:00.000+01:002008-07-31T21:51:00.000+01:00Sometimes being told to 'pull yourself together an...Sometimes being told to 'pull yourself together and get on with it' is just stupid. (Philipa)<BR/><BR/><BR/>I totally agree with you, Philipa, of course those with acute health problems, severe chronic health problems or recovering from surgery deserve help and not to be bullied as you were. <BR/><BR/>A friend of mine with such disabling arthritis that she has to strap her legs and use a wheelchair was humiliated and frightened when she was called in for a benefits interview to investigate how she might be 'assisted' to find work. I'm totally opposed to such money grabbing bullying of people who are incapacitated.<BR/><BR/>There are, however, a range of chronic health problems and disabilties which are not not barriers to work - and which don't require positive discrimination in order for those affected to get jobs, in particular if they've been trained and have specific skills. <BR/><BR/>I know of a blind bloke who has a very high flown career and who got the job because he's good at it, not because of any positive discrimination on his behalf.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-37323847362448601972008-07-31T21:24:00.000+01:002008-07-31T21:24:00.000+01:00Blimey!! Calm down dears its only an advert..The ...Blimey!! Calm down dears its only an advert..<BR/><BR/>The main problem in discussing this kind of issue is that it comes down to tens of millions of individual choices made by people.. and public policy is largely ignored or ineffective anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-64259857932657822012008-07-31T20:47:00.000+01:002008-07-31T20:47:00.000+01:00Flo - my mother is very blood and sand and gave me...Flo - my mother is very blood and sand and gave me 'the speech' too. This was about a fortnight after surgery when I was made to get out of bed and go in the garage whereon my father gave me a shelf unit to hold. It ripped the surgery apart (it was grab it or have it fall on my legs) and I was rushed back in, hemorrhaging, but they couldn't operate again then. I had to have further surgery but by then my parents alloted brokered help was up and I was alone and caring for two children. I have never recovered. <I>Sometimes</I> being told to 'pull yourself together and get on with it' is just stupid.<BR/><BR/>In the 70's my sister and her husband parted. They were not rich and were renting. It was impossible for her to get a rental agreement at that time, even though she was working, without my father going guarantor. It was simply not done then for a woman to be independant - have a rental or credit agreement. That is what the womens movement was about and to equal such things as giving us a vote, equal pay for equal work etc. So that women afterwards could not notice the difference in their lives and could simply be themselves.Philipahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03440234602399886097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-83158994772144828932008-07-31T20:21:00.000+01:002008-07-31T20:21:00.000+01:00My rather eccentric childhood left me with little ...My rather eccentric childhood left me with little time for feminism.<BR/><BR/>My mother was Maggie Thatcher's mini alter ego. She spent her childhood brutally beating up boys, her teenage years driving an ambulance through the blitz and her entire womanhood running her own businesses while demanding the world in general, and men in particular obey her every whim. <BR/><BR/>Yet, just like Maggie, she was beautiful and alluringly feminine. She drove lorries and rode motorbikes in a cloud of Channel, wearing what seemed to be 6" heels with her bouffant hair immaturely coiffured and a face rather like Marylyn Monroe's. <BR/><BR/>Thankfully, my mother married an artist who was quite happy to allow her to take care of all the sordid and tough stuff of life for him because he wasn't good at that stuff and all he wanted to do was paint. <BR/><BR/>Yet my dad had only to bat his eye lashes at my mum and she was transformed into his slave. My parents were totally equal in their complimentary roles, though very different in their abilities.<BR/><BR/>Having grown up in a family where mum did the tough stuff and was the main breadwinner and dad did the pretty stuff, I could never get my head around feminism or the need for it. <BR/><BR/>Never really had any doubt that I could achieve whatever I wanted to because that was what women did, always saw males and females as equal and never felt constrained by my gender. I never felt one of the weaker sex. <BR/><BR/>I feel exactly the same about disability. My deafness, which began in my early teens, or maybe in my childhood (unrecognised thanks to my ace lip reading) has never held me back because I wasn't allowed to see it as any sort of disability or constraint on my life.<BR/><BR/>My mother said: how can you be deaf? No one in our family's ever been deaf. Pull yourself together. So I did.<BR/><BR/>And I thank my lucky stars that I was made to get on with it, because I've seen the lives and confidence of deaf friends of mine - whose families' response to their deafness was coddling and positive discrimination - totally ruined by that. <BR/><BR/>One of my deaf friends, a very clever bloke, rarely leaves his home and is too depressed, nervous and lazy to work because of the endless accommodations his family have always made for his deafness.<BR/><BR/>Women like Harperson who make a very good living out of exploiting and creating phoney divisions by making men and women feel mutually inadequate and hostile should have their mouths sellotaped.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-37615711377075455242008-07-31T16:25:00.000+01:002008-07-31T16:25:00.000+01:00PS: I agree with your response to Raedwald, Paul, ...PS: I agree with your response to Raedwald, Paul, but sadly I think he makes a very valid comment.Philipahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03440234602399886097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-59136749963340755912008-07-31T16:13:00.000+01:002008-07-31T16:13:00.000+01:00It is connected by men, dear heart, and shouldn't ...It is connected by men, dear heart, and shouldn't be. What I mean is that because women get the vote and equal pay for the same labour that should not equate to an erosion of manners. Sadly I think you are correct that it often does in some mens minds. <BR/><BR/>It seems some men are only happy to extend kindness and benificence to slaves, not to social equals whose position they resent.Philipahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03440234602399886097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-87316623265847457522008-07-31T15:32:00.001+01:002008-07-31T15:32:00.001+01:00PS Raedwald is lot more pessimistic than I feel,I ...PS Raedwald is lot more pessimistic than I feel,I was just noticing the oddly different directions in which we are moving.Newmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-6524892521773372272008-07-31T15:32:00.000+01:002008-07-31T15:32:00.000+01:00PS Raedwald is lot more pessimistic than I feel,I ...PS Raedwald is lot more pessimistic than I feel,I was just noticing the oddly different directions in which we are moving.Newmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-45634364193736661252008-07-31T15:30:00.000+01:002008-07-31T15:30:00.000+01:00Interesting Phillipa , well I am certainly am not ...Interesting Phillipa , well I am certainly am not anti woman but I think what I am suggesting is that if women wasn't a man`s role then they will forfeit the old civil protections that you might call a sense of chivalry. Men will tend to behave aggressively and callously.<BR/><BR/>I am not sure I agree with you that the loosening of social mores has not been responsible both for freedom for women and for their sexualisation and objectification by men.It is connected if not in an obvious way.Newmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-58646314570807174322008-07-31T15:09:00.000+01:002008-07-31T15:09:00.000+01:00My personal opinions then:1 And if she had seen he...My personal opinions then:<BR/><BR/><I>1 And if she had seen her sister become a whore would that be ok ?</I><BR/><BR/>Not in my book no, but it would be predictable that her sister would want to copy Jordan's path to security through riches in the same way. <BR/><BR/><I>2 No I disagree surely you have noticed the acceptance of pornography into the mainstream for example . You approve ?</I><BR/><BR/>No I don't approve, but neither do I blame the womens movement for the existence of pornography. There has always been pornography and the acceptance of it in the mainstream cannot be blamed on suffragettes or the womens movement for equal pay in the workplace. These things are seperate issues and should not be confused. That they are confused is not womens fault.<BR/><BR/><I>3 P women are favoured though Harman`s latest explicity agreed men could be discriminated against</I><BR/><BR/>If you check out Blue eye's blog you will see that I don't agree with the changes in the law I think you speak of - Harriet Harman does not speak for all women. I'm sure I don't either but I try to reflect the historical viewpoint, unless specifically noted otherwise, rather than second guess What Women Want, and I guess I've got a more grounded view of womens issues than someone in Westminster with their head up the PM's arse.<BR/><BR/><I>4 Divorce -? What possible further advantage could women have ?Of course if people are outside the law thats bad but a different subject</I><BR/><BR/>Women could more easily rid themselves and their children of an abusive father/husband - at the moment, due to 'fathers rights', it is very very difficult to do this in law with any degree of protection.<BR/><BR/><I>Tell me Phllipa , if you got what you wanted and men were semi female often relying on the woman to provide for them. Would you be happy , would you like such a man?</I><BR/><BR/>You assume that I want men to be "<I>semi female</I>" when you should know perfectly well that's not the case. Tell me any man, Paul, any man you know or have suspected I found attractive that is "semi female". I just don't want to be bullied or treated like I'm 'less than'.<BR/><BR/>I'm not.Philipahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03440234602399886097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-60798444983065337332008-07-31T14:43:00.000+01:002008-07-31T14:43:00.000+01:001 And if she had seen her sister become a whore wo...1 And if she had seen her sister become a whore would that be ok ?<BR/>2 No I disagree surely you have noticed the acceptance of pornography into the mainstream for example . You approve ?<BR/>3 P women are favoured though Harman`s latest explicity agreed men could be discriminated against<BR/>4 Divorce -? What possible further advantage could women have ?Of course if people are outside the law thats bad but a different subject<BR/><BR/><BR/>Tell me Phllipa , if you got what you wanted and men were semi female often relying on the woman to provide for them. Would you be happy , would you like such a man?Newmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-66585249069815524652008-07-31T12:25:00.000+01:002008-07-31T12:25:00.000+01:00Plain truth? Bollocks! (and I've more of them than...Plain truth? Bollocks! (and I've more of them than most of the blokes I've dated)<BR/><BR/>Let's take it bit by bit and start by my stating that Polly is indeed on to something there..<BR/><BR/><I>Jordan’s little sister has got her mum to save up to buy her tooth veneers and a boob job, so she can be a glamour model like her heroine . She is fifteen and I do not like it</I> <BR/><BR/>No neither do I but she has seen her sister become rich and independant by working this society we live in. Far more constructive to her I guess than sitting at home blogging about how terrible things are - Jordan's a millionaire! Money is security.<BR/><BR/><I>So why are men treating woman so badly and women adopting sexualised roles</I> <BR/><BR/>They always have, dear.<BR/><BR/><I>Well men are under sustained legal attack and women are now explicitly favoured</I> <BR/><BR/>Nope, they just don't like the change in their misogynist world such as losing the ability to hit, rape and lock their wives in a nuthouse when it suits them, maybe? <BR/><BR/><I>Brillcream reported that men were now far happier ironing than mending the car</I><BR/><BR/>Well I'm not, I'd rather mend the car than do the bloody ironing. I'm always amazed at the assumptions of men that 'cause I have breasts I like doing this shit. And I f---ing hate washing up.<BR/><BR/><I>The prize for divorce is the children ,a home and an income the woman no longer has to work for . This inserts a damaging power imbalance to the private sphere</I><BR/><BR/>Often the prize for divorce is running a home and family on your own, without your husbands help and support, while he makes promises and breaks them and spends his time and the money the law can't drag out of him for his own children on the first tart (or two) that he comes across.<BR/><BR/><I>This of course puts great pressure on men to be a 1930s style provider when women want noughties style special treatment, in their efforts to out compete men in the workplace</I> <BR/><BR/>"out compete"?? In the workplace women wanted equal recognition for doing an equal (if not better) job. Some leftist female politician may speak for the leftist female politicians she knows but seems conveniently unaware of what the suffragette movement was all about.<BR/><BR/><I>True, women occupy many low paid part time jobs, but they are also pouring into the professions , outperforming men academically, and soon , no doubt , financially</I><BR/><BR/>Pouring into the professions and outperforming men? And this is a bad thing and should be stopped should it, Paul? Hmmm<BR/><BR/><I>I appear to have scribbled underneath this “ Cow !!“.Not my finest moment , and I am sorry . I mention it as a demonstration that even a reasonable and modern chap like me feel , at times , pushed , controlled and emasculated by the legislative assault on our gender. We are told to be mother , father provider , stander aside , that we are guilty from birth destructive and redundant . Beneath the public post feminist concensus men are rebelling sometimes in ugly ways</I><BR/><BR/>Get over it, we've had to, for generations.Philipahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03440234602399886097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-45930490721011966672008-07-31T09:44:00.000+01:002008-07-31T09:44:00.000+01:00'I've got a right to be happy'....and what a shall...'I've got a right to be happy'.<BR/><BR/>...and what a shallow meaningless ambition that is anyway.I`m not sure R , I don`t think we can go back to an imagined 1950s either.I always look for ways not to throw out the baby with the bath-water which we seem to have doneNewmaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11922161971821380803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-12752638659403008982008-07-31T08:41:00.000+01:002008-07-31T08:41:00.000+01:00There's an old boaty aphorism that goes 'if it flo...There's an old boaty aphorism that goes 'if it floats, flies or fucks it's cheaper to rent than own'. And there's the rub. Marriage won't catch on again until the financial relationship changes.<BR/><BR/>For a young professional bloke, the option of keeping his money and his property investment to himself, buying lots of expensive toys and taking modern freely available opportunities for sex when he's in the mood without any of the commitments is an attractive one. <BR/><BR/>A third of dwellings in London are occupied by single people and lots of them are quite happy. The south-east's property shortage could be solved overnight if London's single blokes were forced to take a live-in concubine (or rent boy, if they're that way inclined). <BR/><BR/>The zeitgeist is all about self; self at the expense of others. This truly is the 'me' age. One hears time after time the utterly vacuous claim that 'I've got a right to be happy'. And the more Harman and her like push to distort employment markets in favour of women, the more men will quietly establish their competitive advantage and the more women will be treated as hedonistic commodities.Raedwaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11699610899843349594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35649541.post-7804949439936407302008-07-31T08:32:00.000+01:002008-07-31T08:32:00.000+01:00Perhaps, but then again perhaps not - no-one will ...Perhaps, but then again perhaps not - no-one will thank you for stating too much plain Truth in this neck of the woods<BR/><BR/>I suggest you stick to sly humour !Nick Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13670594203660051701noreply@blogger.com